Duane Grigg, age 11, of Gastonia, N.C., for his question:

IS THE PRAYING MANTIS POISONOUS?

The praying mantis is very popular with gardeners because she devours a lot of leaf eating insects. Naturally, she is not popular in the world of insects, and the grasshopper .has not one good word to say about her. However, even the insects that detest her most do not claim she is poisonous.

In the world of nature, suitable weapons are handed out to the creatures that need them to defend themselves or to make a living. The tiger has claws, the deer has antlers  which should be enough. As a rule, the few poisonous animals are rather weak and have no other ways to protect themselves or to

catch their food. The fragile little honeybee would be helpless without her stinger. The rattler needs his paralyzing poison to stun his victims.

The large praying mantis is a clever, patient hunter with mighty jaws. She is a giant in the world of insects and goodness knows she has enough weapons to defend herself and to find enough food to fill her famished tummy. No doubt this is why Mother Nature never added a stinger or poisoned glands to her body.

There are several types of mantis, or mantid, and most of them are fond of warmish climates. They are large insects, ranging in length from two to five inches. Their long bodies and large leafy wings are colored with browns and greens to blend in with the foliage, where they patiently wait for their victims. All insects have narrow necks, but only the mantids can turn their heads around.

Almost all other insects are on the menu of a praying mantis and she needs no stinger or poisonous fangs to cope with them. For one thing she is disguised to match the scenery so that her victims do not see her until too late. Her endless patience enables her to stay perfectly still until a victim crawls within grabbing distance.

Then she shoots out her long strong front legs and stuffs the victim into her powerful jaws. One of her favorite foods is grasshopper meat  and when one is gobbled up she is ready right away for the next one.

From the people point of view, the praying mantis is a large handsome insect  'and very useful in the garden. Many gardeners buy cocoons of mantis eggs and hang them on bushes. Come spring, the little ones hatch. For a while they scout around for smallish insects near the ground. Later they perch among the leaves, doing more than their share to keep down the greedy grasshopper population.